Michael Foot

Michael Foot (23 July 1913-3 March 2010) was Leader of the Labor Party (and, henceforth, Leader of the Opposition) from 10 November 1980 to 2 October 1983, succeeding James Callaghan and preceding Neil Kinnock.

Biography
Michael Foot was born in Plymouth, England in 1913. He was initially a member of the Liberal Party, but he joined the Labor Party after working in Liverpool's poverty-stricken areas whilst at Wadham College, Oxford, and stood unsuccessfully for the party in the 1935 general election. He then entered journalism, and he was one of the writers of the 1940 Guilty Men, a devastating critique of appeasement. In 1945, he was elected MP for Plymouth Devonport, which he lost in 1955. He was returned to Parliament for Ebbw Vale in 1960, succeeding his political hero, Aneurin Bevan. A leading member of the left wing of the party, he gained a reputation as a platform orator. As a result, he was popular in internal party elections, but did not gain ministerial office until 1974, when he became Employment Secretary. In 1976, he stood against James Callaghan for the party leadership, but lost in the third ballot. He became a surprisingly effective Leader of the House, taking responsibility for steering thorugh legislation despite the government's lack of an overall majority. In 1980, he became Labor leader, when the party responded disastrously to Thatcherism by steering to the left rather than to the center. He supported unilateral disarmament and the CND, which convinced many that the party had become irresponsible and unfit to govern. At the same time, his opposition to European integration led to the defection of the UK Social Democratic Party, dividing the left throughout the 1980s. He resigned after leading the party to a crushing defeat at the 1983 elections, but he remained active in politics. He died in 2010.